As a partner in improving urban schools in Milwaukee, PAVE believes that strong school leadership is integral to success. Since 2000, PAVE has worked to strengthen leadership in Milwaukee schools through leadership support, including classes and mentorship opportunities.

Experience shows that a school’s leadership is the single most important factor in the success of any school. PAVE is investing in Milwaukee school leaders in an effort to ensure that as many schools as possible have the capacity to go from ordinary to extraordinary.

Johnsonville Fellows

In 2002, representatives from seven Milwaukee area private colleges and universities, K-12 school leaders, UWM’s Center for Urban Initiatives and Research, and parents assembled at the invitation of PAVE to discuss a new model for developing and supporting urban school leaders in Milwaukee. One significant result from this series of discussions was the Johnsonville Fellows Program.

Johnsonville Fellows is an association of outstanding Milwaukee school leaders with diverse experiences who are committed to the development and support of excellent educational opportunities for urban families. With a generous grant from Johnsonville Sausage LLC, The Greater Milwaukee Foundation, and other benefactors, PAVE convened its first cohort of Fellows in 2003. 

The current Johnsonville Fellows cohort is hard at work enhancing the leadership capabilities of its membership through networking and the sharing of best practices. For more information on the 2008-2009 cohort, call Catina Harwell-Young at 414.263.2970.